MEET THE PERFORMERS: VISITING ARTISTS

Victor Santiago Asuncion

Hailed by the Washington Post for his “poised and imaginative playing,” pianist Victor Santiago Asuncion is recognized as a pianist of innate musical sensitivity, fiery temperament, and superb technique. As a recitalist and concerto soloist, he has appeared in major concert halls in Brazil, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Turkey and the Philippines. He played his orchestral debut at the age of 18 with the Manila Chamber Orchestra and his New York recital debut in Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall in 1999. In addition, he has worked with conductors including Sergio Esmilla, Enrique Batiz, Zev Dorman, Arthur Weisberg, Corrick Brown, David Loebel, Leon Fleisher, Michael Stern, Jordan Tang, and Bobby McFerrin.

A chamber music enthusiast, he has performed with artists such as Lynn Harrell, Zuill Bailey, Andres Diaz, Antonio Meneses, Cho-Liang Lin, James Dunham, Ronald Leonard, Susanne Mentzer, H.K. Gruber, John O’Connor, Marc Neikrug, Liang Wang, Ensemble Sao Paolo, and the Vega and Emerson String quartets at venues that include the Phillips Collection, the Corcoran Gallery, 92nd Street Y, Benaroya, Merkin, Spivey and Shriver Concert Halls, and the Santa Fe, Aspen, Madison, Virtuosi, Pera, and Amelia Island Music Festivals. He was on the chamber music faculty of the Aspen Music Festival and School, as well as the Garth Newel Summer Music Festival. He was also the pianist for the Garth Newel Piano Quartet for three seasons.

In addition to his active performing career, Mr. Asuncion is sought after as a piano, vocal, and chamber music coach. He is currently an associate professor of piano, and Director of Collaborative Arts Studies at the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music at the University of Memphis. He received his Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in 2007 from the University of Maryland at College Park. His principal teachers include Rosario Picazo, Avelina Manalo, Roberta Rust, and Rita Sloan. you can learn more at Mr. Asuncion's web site, http://www.victorasuncion.com.

Please note: Biographies on the CSO website are based on the information that was most recently provided to the CSO by the artists or their representatives. More current information may be available on the artists' own websites or those of their representatives.